Artificial insemination device



Oct. 30, 1951 J. H. COLES r-:rA| 2,573,937

ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION DEVIC E Filed April 18, 1949 W/L FRED 0. 0A V/ES and J. HOOPER COLES INVENTORS A TTDRNEYS Patented Oct. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION DEVICE ship Application April 18, 1949, Serial No. 88,164

4 Claims. 1

This invention is directed to a device adapted to be used in the practise of artificial insemination of animals.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the unsanitary and inefficient methods at present in common use in this art.

Artificial insemination of animals rather than natural propagation is gaining favour with husbandrymen during recent years because of the many advantages which accrue from the use of this method. By means of artificial insemination a sire may be more extensively and intensively used to inseminate dams than by the natural method. The possibilities of transmitting semen over long distances offers obvious advantages in comparison to shipping the sire. The quality of herds can be improved by breeding with better stock much cheaper by artificial insemination then by ordinary stud practise.

The most common method of practising artificial insemination involves obtaining the semen from the sire by methods well known to husbandrymen and not pertinent to the present disclosure. The semen, after being collected is maintained under proper sterile conditions and at a temperature that will maintain the semen virile.

When it is desired to inseminate dams it has been the practise to use a pipette or other measuring device to withdraw a quantity of semen from a bottle which is then injected into the female animal. To assist in properly locating the pipette or similar device within the cervix, a speculum or tube is first inserted. The bore of the speculum is of greater diameter than the pipette or other measuring and discharging device. After the correct amount of semen has been injected the pipette and speculum are withdrawn.

The speculum and pipette being in contact with the internal organs of the female will have become contaminated and dirty. Obviously, it would not be safe to usethe used pipette or speculum in another animal without cleaning and sterilizing. Consequently, a husbandryman attempting to inseminate a large herd must of necessity carry a large supply of injecting equipment and speculums. Furthermore, the task of cleaning the used equipment is distasteful to most employees.

In addition to the difficulties arising from the sanitary aspect it is most diflicult for an operator to measure the exact amount of semen drawn into the pipette. In order to avoid waste, the operator must be extremely careful and con- 2 sequently the use of a pipette is tedious and slow.

In addition to the disadvantages discussed above, it has been found that when a herd is inseminated and particularly when the operation takes place outdoors it is diflicult to avoid having the semen lose virility. This is caused by exposure of the container of semen to improper temperatures and to the atmosphere when it is opened on numerous occasions. Consequently, the number of female animals which conceive after insemination decreases towards the latter part of the procedure.

The applicants have devised a novel method and apparatus for overcoming the diniculties with the present method. An applicator has been devised which is of sufiicient length to function properly and which is capable of injecting a measured amount of semen into the female animal. A speculum of similar construction is used, but as it is not necessary to accurately locate the applicator within the female before discharging the semen, a speculum of much smaller bore may be used.

Semen is not drawn into the novel applicator in a manner similar to a pipette but is supplied in small vials or cartridges containing a correct amount. The cartridges are filled under aseptic conditions and maintained under proper temperature conditions until ready to be used.

The novel applicator is constructed to receive and hold the vial or cartridge during insertion into the animal. The vial is constructed with a slidable closure at one end and a removable closure at the other end. A piston-like rod in the applicator acts against the slidable closure to force the semen from the vial.

The invention will be more fully disclosed by reference to the accompanying description and drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the new applicator.

Figure 2 is a cross-section of the new applicator along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 illustrates the vial containing the semen.

Referring now to Figure 1 the new applicator will be described in detail. It should be understood, with reference to the applicator, that all portions are made of metal and preferably from a metal which has good anti-corrosive properties. An outer tube l of suflicient length to extend into the cervix and at the same time have a suflicient length exteriorly of the animal to enable the instrument to be manipulated is provided with open ends as indicated at 2 and 3. An elliptically shaped opening 4 is provided in the wall of the tube l near the inner end 2. The function of the opening 4 will be described in greater detail hereinafter. The walls of the bore of the tube are finished in a relatively smooth condition to facilitate the sliding of the inner tube 5. The inner end 2 of the tube is crimped in order to provide a flange or rim 6.

Within the outer tube 1 slides an inner tube 5 of slightly greater length than the outer tube. The outer end of the inner tube has a ferrule l secured thereto. The inner diameter of the ferrule i is such that when the inner tube is slid entirely within the outer tube the ferrule will slide over the outer end of the outer tube and consequently serve to hold the two tubes together. The inner tube is closed at both the inner and outer ends and the closures are bored as at 8 to allow the passage of a push-rod 9. The push-rod terminates at its outer end in a handle portion In. The rod 9 is of greater length than the inner and outer tubes and has axially arranged around it a compression spring H which is located between the ferrule and the handle.

To operate the applicator the inner tube is loosened from its connection with the outer tube and slid in an outer direction. This movement uncovers the opening 4 in the outer tube, which had been closed by the wall of the inner tube, and permits a vial or container of semen to be inserted. By tilting the instrument the vial will slide out through the open end 2 and be retained in place by the rim 6 engaging a flange on the the vial, to be described below. The inner tube is then slid inwardly and locked in place by the action of the ferrule. Thus the vial is securely held in place and protudes from the outer end of the instrument.

The vial or container referred to above is illustrated in detail in Figure 3 of the drawings and consists of a tube l2 of glass or other material which will not react with, or in any way aifect, the contents of the vial. The outer end of the vial is closed by means of an easily removable closure I3. Associated with the closure 13 is a band of plastic or equivalent sealing medium M which incorporates a tear-strip l5. The other end of the vial is closed by means of a plug I6 of such diameter that the plug makes a tight sliding fit Within the bore of the vial.

A flange l! is formed at the end of the vial l2 which is closed by the sliding plug l6. The body of tube or vial I2 passes through hole 2, and the flange 11 engages by contact the rim 6 of the inner end of the tube l, and thus prevents the vial from being discharged from the end of the After the vial has'been inserted in the instrument and the speculum inserted in the female animal, the closure l3 of the vial is removed and the instrument inserted into the animal. The rod 5: is then pushed inwardly which in turn pushes the sliding closure or plug I6 through the vial and ejects the semen. After injection the instrument is removed and the vial discarded.

The vials are filled under sterile conditions after the semen has been treated in accordance with usual practices. When filled in a laboratory it is a relatively simple matter to insure that only the correct amount of semen is contained in the vial. The usual amount is 0.5 cc. To assist in filling the vial and to avoid an excessive amount of air within the vial a small hole is provided in the wall of the vial a short distance from the flanged end. When the vial is filled the hole I8 is closed by the closure I6.

In order to avoid the necessity of carrying a supply of speculums and instruments, sheaths of thin flexible plastic material are provided which are placed over each article before insertion into the animal and discarded after use.

The practise of, artificial insemination by utilizing the proposed equipment offers many advantages over older techniques;

(1) As only the exact amount of semen necessary to achieveconception is used, the services of the male animal are greatly extended.

(2) The sterile manner in which the vials are filled and the favourable conditions under which they are stored prior to use contribute to a higher number of effective inseminations.

(3) By using a vial which is not refilled and is cheap enough to discard after a single use the burdensome technique which utilized a pipette is eliminated.

(4) The new instrument and vial provides for artificial insemination under much more sanitary conditions than previously possible without involving cleaning operations in the field.

(5) The chances of spreading disease from one animal to another is greatly lessened if not entirely eliminated by the use of the new apparatus.

It is to be understood that the invention may be modified by the changing of sizes and substitution of material and still be within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An instrument for use in the practise of artificial insemination comprising an outer tubular member open at both ends, one end of said tube having an inwardly turned rim, an inner tubular member adapted to move slidably within said outer member, said inner member being longer than said outer member and being closed at both ends, means to secure said members to gether, an aperture in the wall of the outer mem ber, and a rod extending through said inner member of a length greater than both said members.

2. An applicator for use in the practise of artificial insemination of animals comprising an outer tubular member open at both ends, an inner tubular member slidably arranged within the outer member, said inner member being closed at both ends, an aperture in each end for the re ception of a slidable rod of a length greater than the outer and inner members, a handle formed on one end of the rod, a compression spring disposed between the handle and the end of the inner member, a ferrule secured to one end of the inner member and adapted to hold the inner and outer members together, and an opening in the wall of the outer member near one end thereof and adapted to receive a vial containing semen.

3. Equipment for use in the practise of artificial insemination comprising an applicator adapted to inject semen into a female animal from a small vial, said applicator comprising an instrument for use in the practise of artificial insemination comprising an outer tubular member open at both ends, one end of said tube having an inwardly turned rim, an inner tubular member adapted to move within said outer member, said inner member being longer than said outer member, means to secure said members together, an aperture in the wall of the outer member, adapted to permit a vial to be inserted within the outer member, and to be retained by the aforesaid rim on the outer member and a flange on the vial, a movable closure at one end of '(5 the vial and a removable closure at the other end, and a rod extending through said inner member of a, length greater than both said members and adapted to push the movable closure and eject the contents of the vial.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the vial consists of a tubular member having a removable closure at one end and a plug adapted to slide within the vial and to close the other end 01' the vial, and an air vent in the wall of the tubular member which is sealed from the atmosphere when the vial is filled by the aforesaid D1118.

JOHN HOOPER COL-ES. WIIJ'RID D. DAVIES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STI'A TES PATENTS 

